The Complete Guide to Raised Bed Gardening

Raised bed gardening has become a popular and practical approach in the gardening realm. It makes your yard garden more productive and beautiful. And it has better growing space and drainage than traditional ground gardening. Moreover, it proves to be more efficient in pest and weed management. This comprehensive guide is designed to lead you through every aspect of raised bed gardening, giving you the knowledge and skills to create and maintain a thriving raised bed.

Different types of raised garden beds

From cinder blocks to stone, there are many different options when it comes to materials for raised beds. To make an informed decision, it is advisable to focus on five crucial characteristics: the natural quality, ensuring minimal chemical processing; durability, guaranteeing a long lifespan; aesthetics, enhancing the visual appeal of your garden; sustainability, minimizing environmental impact; and affordability, fitting within your budgetary constraints.

The goal is to create an organic environment for the plants growing in the garden, so it is best to purchase materials that are as close to their natural state as possible. For example, untreated wood, steel that is not coated with synthetic chemicals, and stone that has not been chemically altered.

While treated wood lasts longer than untreated wood, raw cedar, redwood, cypress, or hemlock can last five to ten years. Steel is a close second in durability, while stone and brick can last a lifetime.

You can see a comparison of metal raised beds and wooden raised beds in this blog post.

Raised Garden Bed Dimensions

Optimal height for raised beds

Raised beds should be tall enough, and the minimum raised bed height I recommend is 6 inches to accommodate the full root ball of whatever plant you are growing. Here are the minimum depths needed based on the type of plants you may want to grow:

Width of Raised Beds

Unlike height, the width and length of a raised bed will be limited by the space you have available. I recommend a minimum width of 18 inches for a raised bed. This is necessary to allow for more than one or two plants to be spaced apart in your bed. The maximum width of a raised bed is best no more than four feet wide, and anything over four and a half to five feet will usually make it difficult to reach plants in the middle of the bed. Many gardeners find three-foot beds most comfortable.

The Best Length for a Raised Bed

In my experience, the best length for a raised bed is about 10 to 12 feet at most. Wood and metal beds that are too long may start to bend and have weakened support capacity. Even with gravel beds, you may have to walk a little further to get to the other side.

How to build a raised flower bed

If you are building a garden on a lawn, the first step is to remove the sod. Make sure the raised beds are placed on level ground. Otherwise, uneven ground will affect the structure of the raised flower bed and cause soil erosion. Lay a thick layer of gravel or weed cloth on the bottom to prevent soil from spilling and weeds from growing after heavy rain. Then fill it with nutrient-rich soil so you can harvest high-yield crops.

Calculating the Ideal Soil Volume for Your Raised Bed

Multiply the length, width and height of your raised bed. This will yield the total cubic feet of soil necessary. Remember that newly added soil in a raised bed tends to settle rapidly. Hence, it is advisable to procure approximately 20% more soil than the calculated volume to compensate for this settling.

Tips for Raised Garden Beds

Raised beds are ideal for growing edibles such as herbs, leafy greens, root crops, and everyday fruits. You'll be surprised at how many plants each raised bed can hold. Thanks to the nutrient-rich soil that fills these raised beds, kitchen gardeners can practice precision planting. Develop your patience and care skills by adding diversity to your garden with a mix of herbs, vegetables, and flowers.

It is recommended that beginners start with herbs as they are hardy and easy to grow. Once you are ready to grow more challenging plants, be sure to properly research their needs, taking into account factors such as the amount of sunlight and adding necessary soil amendments.

1. Pay attention to spacing

Plan the spacing between plants to prevent them from falling over or getting tangled together after they grow and mature. Also leave enough space between planting beds so that you can walk between them and take care of them.

2. Compost

Fill your raised beds with compost once or twice a year. Compost is an essential component in any garden and it's an important step if you have crops that you plan to grow. After the plants have stopped growing, adding compost and a layer of organic mulch to your garden beds will ensure that you have organic and nutritious soil when you plant in the spring.

3. Water at the base of the plant

You should water at the base of the plant rather than using a sprinkler or sprayer, which tends to spray onto the leaves. This can increase the chances of fungal diseases or lead to oversaturation. Consider using a soaker hose or installing a drip irrigation system to deliver water to the ground.

4. Add mulch

Add mulch to your planting beds after the planting season ends to protect the soil from cold winter weather. You should also add mulch after your plants have established growth to retain soil moisture and prevent weeds from growing.

Hopefully this post has provided you with some useful tips. By carefully considering the type and size of your raised bed and adhering to the correct construction and maintenance techniques, you'll be able to enhance your gardening skills. Then, you can fully enjoy the delightful process of watching your plants thrive in the garden soil. For me, growing in raised beds is one of the most fun gardening tasks I do because it allows for less work and weeding, and more harvest! It's such a rewarding experience that I'm sure you'll love it too!